Improvement in breech-loading ordnance



T. YATES.

Breach-Loading Ordnance.

Patentedv Feb '14,l 1865.

PATENT OFFICE.

THEODORE YATES, OF MILWAUKEE, VISOONSIN.

IMPROVEMENT IN BREECH-LOADING ORDNANCE.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent hlm-16,417, dated February 14, 1865.

.To all whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, THEoDoRE YATEs, of the city and county of Milwaukee, in the State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and useful Improvement inBreech-Loading Ordnance; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, and exact description of the same, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which" Figure l is a side elevation of a cannon ernbodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an under side view thereof. Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal section of the same in the line .fr x, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is atransverse section through the breech at the line y y, Fig. 3.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

My invention consists in a novel manner of operating a sliding breech-block and closing the rear of a breech-loading cannon, as will be hereinafter fully described.

To enable others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains to fully understand and use the same, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

In the accompanying drawings, A is the gun, and B avertically-moving breech-block, which, when in its respective upper and lower positions, permits the cartridge to beinserted into the bore A through the breech-chamber A2 and close the rear end of the bore, to receive the explosive force of the charge at this point. On the breech-block is a guide-rib, b2, moving in a corresponding groove in the opening, in

` which the block slides. 'Ihe front end of the chamber A`l is form ed to constitute arm bearing for the breech-block B when in its lower position, and the lower end of said breechblock may have the figure of an arc of a circle, so as to be ush with the interior surface of the chamber A2 when elevated, and for the additional purpose of adapting the parts b b to enter the openings o a when the breechpiece is lowered, thelatter thus having greater rmness'imparted to it. The openings a a in the under side of the breech admit of the connection with the breech-block B of ayoke, O O O', through the medium of arms b b, attached, respectively, to the parts b b and j ointed to the arms O C of the yoke. rIhe yoke is pivoted to a projection, A3, on the under side of the gun A by a pin, c, so that it may vibrate freely in a vertical plane. The turning of the yoke upon its pivot elevates and lowers the breech-block, and while the arms C O carry said breech-block upward the arm C reoedes from the rear end of the gun and carries with it a cap, D, which closes the opening at the rear of the chamber A2 when the breechblock is down, so as to effectually exclude dust. After the insertion of the cartridge, the breech-block B may be allowed to assume its lower position by the influence of gravity, and in doing this the arm Ois moved forward and the cap D returned to its position over the opening at the rear end of the chamber A?. Thus the yoke O O O', which is formed in one piece, serves to operate the breechblock B and cap D simultaneously. Any suitable attachment (such as cord fastened to the upper end of the arm O) may be employed to facilitate the turning of the yoke and retain the breech-block in its upper position.

It will be seen that by forming the gun with openings a a at each side of the chamber A2 a portion of the breech-block is allowed to extend below the same in the manner described, and at the same time the intervening part of the bottom of the chamber forms a bridge or connection between said chamber 'and the bore A', to insure an unobstructed entrance to the cartridge.

'Io the top of the breech-block B is affixed a shield, B', to bear any desired inscription and close the joint between the block B and the contiguous parts of the gun.

The above-described gun is designed to have no vent, the charge being exploded by fulminate or percussion.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The combination of the lever C O', cap D, and sliding breech-block B, constructed and operating substantially as and for the purposes herein described.

The above specification of my improvement in breech-loading ordnance signed this 10th day of September, 1864.

THEO. YATES. 

